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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What does it cost me to work with a recruiter?
2. How does the recruiter work?  What is the process?
3. Why is a relationship with a recruiter better than, say, searching and posting on an Internet job board?
4. Will my information be used without my knowledge?
5. What about confidentiality?  I don’t want anyone at my present facility to know I am looking.
6. What steps do I take to begin a relationship with a recruiter?
7. How often can I expect to hear from a recruiter once I send my information?
8. Should I take my spouse and children with me on my interview?
9. Why is it that recruiters only seem to have access to positions in unattractive locations? It seems that they do not have any jobs in large metro areas.
10. My spouse was recently promoted and is being transferred to Texas. I am an OB/GYN. Since I know the city we are moving to, what should I do, contact potential employers directly or go through a recruiter?
11. Should I expect the client to pay for my relocation fees?
12. Our child needs a Special School and has some other needs. At what point do we tell our recruiter about our needs as a family, and how do recruiters take this into consideration when helping to place you?
13. My spouse is a nurse. Is there a way to research her opportunities while also researching my own? How is this typically handled?
14. We recently spent a lot of time, energy and money to fill a position. We have reason to believe that the new physician is not happy? I think they may be considering looking elsewhere. What do I do now?
15. You have found the candidate that you want and you have made your written offer. The two-day response time period you agreed upon has passed. Now a week has passed and the candidate says he is still trying to make up his mind and will get back to you. Meanwhile, your second and third choice candidates are being offered positions elsewhere. What do you do?
16. Assuming that you would like to practice in a state where you are not licensed, how long does it take to get licensed in a new location?
17. Why should I use a recruiting firm?
18. How do I find out about Physician Practice opportunities with ChaseMcKewen?
19. As a full service firm, how do you differ from contingency firms?
20. As a physician visiting an opportunity, how do I handle interviewing expenses?
21. Do you specialize in any specific areas in the country?
22. Do you recruit for all specialties?
23. What makes CMA my best resource for finding a new opportunity?
24. What do you need from me?
25. Why do clients use CMA?
26. Will using a firm lower my salary?

A. What does it cost me to work with a recruiter?
There is never a fee for candidates. The "cost" to a candidate, however, needs explanation.

Without exception, our search process necessitates a relationship between recruiter and candidate based on honesty, trust, and cooperation. Candidates must be willing to invest in the process for it to have a successful outcome.

"Investing" means making time to interview, preparing for interviews (a.k.a. "doing your homework"), being honest with your feelings and opinions, keeping your recruiter updated on your other job leads. Our goal is to ensure both candidate and employer win.

 

B. How does the recruiter work? What's the process?
Our process is focused on preparation. We know the opportunity, the decision makers in the search project, the culture of the organization, the reputation the facility has in the marketplace.

We leverage that understanding to prepare and coach our candidates throughout the interview process. Our process is geared to ensure that from beginning to end, surprises and odd turns are kept to the absolute minimum.

 

C. Why is a relationship with a recruiter better than, say, searching and posting on an Internet job board?
Put simply, our relationships involve people working with people. We do not rely on technology to "match" a person's interest, motivations and goals to a position. A trained, experienced professional makes informed decisions based on an understanding of your needs.

 

D. Will my information be used without my knowledge?
Our policy is to always contact our prospective candidates prior to sending their resumes to interested employers.

 

E. What about confidentiality? I don't want anyone at my present facility to know I am looking.
The candidate-recruiter relationship is extremely confidential and no one within your present work environment needs to know of your interest in other practice opportunities.

 

F. What steps do I take to begin a relationship with a recruiter?
To begin a relationship, we instruct candidates to first email their CV’s and any pertinent additional information to search@chasemckewen.com .  As always, all candidate information received in our offices is held in strict confidence and is never released nor discussed with outside parties without express verbal or written consent by the candidates.  Upon submission of the credentials, candidates are encouraged to follow up the emails with phone calls to our offices to initiate the telephone profiles.  From there, our recruiters can personalize an appropriate search strategy for each candidate’s unique needs.  Call 1-800-773-8092 for help today!

 

G. How often can I expect to hear from a recruiter once I send my information?
The nature of our business dictates that we must talk to, and network with, large numbers of people to identify the proper number of qualified, motivated candidates ready to accept a new position.

We often cannot touch base immediately with every candidate submitting their information. However, our firm utilizes both email and telephone to proactively communicate and to stay in touch with our network of candidates. We urge all of our candidates to stay in touch with their recruiter and continue to visit our web site for the most up-to-date listings of practice offerings.

H. Should I take my spouse and children with me on my interview?
CMA highly recommends that the entire family comes along on the first interview. If they can't make it on the first interview, by all means they should accompany the Physician on the second or follow-up visit. The best strategy would be to carefully select and interview only at those positions that are of interest and make your choices wisely. Two heads are always better than one. A full itinerary is to be expected for both the Physician and Spouse/Significant other.  In most cases, the needs of the family outweigh the needs of the physician alone.  Therefore, it is imperative for the family to actively participate in the interview process.  CMA advises the physician, spouse, and where appropriate older children in advance of the interview.

The most common scenario is that the Physician meets with the Medical Staff and those individuals he/she will be working with on a day to day basis, as well as administrative and support staff. The Physician will be touring the facility and most likely be meeting key decision makers and referral sources that are vital to the success of his/her practice. The spouse or significant other should hook up with a realtor and investigate housing and the community finding out about the housing and residential market, schools, churches, recreational and cultural facilities and other amenities of interest.

 

Usually an interview dinner is planned whereby all can get to know each other better at that time. The spouse and children can usually, and most certainly do, compare notes at the end of the evening and when they return home to further evaluate the opportunity.

The Physician may be sent his/her tickets, accommodation information and itinerary several days before the visit or have it presented to him immediately upon his/her arrival. In other cases, the candidate is often expected to pay for the trip upfront, and is reimbursed after the interview is completed. This saves the Client time and expense in the event the Physician candidate elects not to visit

 

I. Why is it that recruiters only seem to have access to positions in unattractive locations? It seems that they do not have any jobs in large metro areas.
Not true as is the case for Chase, McKewen opportunities. Because of our knowledge, expertise and track record, we have opportunities in major Urban Locations (New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, New Orleans, Washington DC, Tampa, San Diego, etc.) as well as in suburban, semi-rural, and rural areas.  Our advertised positions are our most pressing needs; however, there exist opportunities in most every practice locale nationally.  Therefore, it is necessary to spend some time with each candidate on the telephone to assess the best prospects for his/her individual needs.  A lot depends on the market for physicians at the time, demographic and needs, and a host of other things. We have an aggressive and on-going marketing strategy and new positions and opportunities turn up every day in all kinds of locations and markets.

Clients hire recruiting firms because of supply and demand and the difficulty in finding the best candidate for the position. Large cities tend to have many Physicians to choose from or simply not enough. It may be a very competitive environment and outside candidates must be brought in due to limited supply in that geographic market.

Many clients try to recruit on their own, some use firms, and some use a combination of outside firms and in-house recruiters. Our Clients are throughout the country in all kinds of areas, but we see a heavy distribution of clients is in medium-sized cities and communities surrounding large metropolitan areas because these areas are growing faster and the demand is more intense for physicians in these high growth areas.

What matters most is to find the best match between the opportunity and the physician. It is also important to consider the unique qualities that a smaller town or rural area offer - such as lower crime, higher compensation, less competition, less managed care and the satisfaction that you may be working in an underserved area. You can be a Big Fish in a Small Pond with easy access to the larger metro areas when and if you want it.

 

J. My spouse was recently promoted and is being transferred to Texas. I am an OB/GYN. Since I know the city we are moving to, what should I do, contact potential employers directly or go through a recruiter?
We say go through a recruiter; it will save you a lot of time and energy. It doesn't cost you anything and they do the work for you - we may have contacts and opportunities in the area that you are relocating to. We know what is there. We can present you professionally, help with licensing issues, advise you in contracts and compensation. A good recruiter has excellent opportunities that you don't know about and has many contacts and a network contacts and resources if they have been around a while and know their stuff. PLUS, you may secure a sign-on bonus AND relocation bonus to pay for your family’s move that would not have occurred without pursuing options through professional recruitment.  This could mean upwards of $50,000 or more!

 

K. Should I expect the client to pay for my relocation fees?
About 90% of the time a client will pay the relocation expenses. They usually put a caveat that the relocation expenses be fair and reasonable, pre-approved in advance and are part of your contract with the facility.   Many times, relocation expenses can be direct-billed to the hiring facility or group, instead of being paid out in a cash-sum bonus.  This maneuver allows the entire move to be covered without the physician incurring a 40-50% tax burden from the cash allotment.

 

L. Our child needs a Special School and has some other needs. At what point do we tell our recruiter about our needs as a family, and how do recruiters take this into consideration when helping to place you?
The candidate should communicate these issues immediately to us. If the physician has a special needs child, we will factor that into consideration when looking at suitable practice opportunities. We will find out what kinds of schools and resources are available in the community. We ask the hospital for referrals, and do our own scouting. We also work with local professionals to set up interviews at schools and child care facilities. If nothing is available that meets those special needs, we simply advise the physician and family not to consider the opportunity.

M. My spouse is a nurse. Is there a way to research her opportunities while also researching my own? How is this typically handled?
Typically, CMA will work with area hospitals and practice facilities to identify opportunities for your spouse in addition to your practice needs.  We simply need to spend some time with your spouse to discuss his/her professional and personal objectives.  We will coordinate a full interview itinerary for both you and your spouse. 

N. We recently spent a lot of time, energy and money to fill a position. We have reason to believe that the new physician is not happy? I think they may be considering looking elsewhere. What do I do now?
We suggest that you proactively sit down and seriously talk to the Physician about the new practice and his/her adaptation to the group, facility, and community, etc.  Discuss all positives, negatives, concerns and challenges associated with this new practice. Encourage him to be specific, and once the reasons are known, decide how you want to proceed. You may ask the physician to give it some more time. Often, physicians don't begin to 'settle in' to a new position for about three months or so. You may be able to make some changes to better fit the physicians' needs. If the physician sees that you are trying to accommodate him, he may be more willing to stick it out until he is more comfortable. Others have a 'retention plan' in place. A retention plan generally involves a more experienced physician, employee or individual who routinely mentors, monitors or contacts the newer employee in order to help him or her through the adjustment period.  Keep in mind that for this physician, the new job and new home and unfamiliar territory is commonly overwhelming for upwards of one year before things become comfortable.

 

O. You have found the candidate that you want and you have made your written offer. The two-day response time period you agreed upon has passed. Now a week has passed and the candidate says he is still trying to make up his mind and will get back to you. Meanwhile, your second and third choice candidates are being offered positions elsewhere. What do you do?
You have no choice but to continue interviewing as if you had not already made an offer. Let the physician know that you are actively interviewing and that you cannot continue to wait for an answer. Decide if you can live with your second or third choice candidate. If you cannot, you need to go back to the drawing board and reinitiate your search. If a candidate continues to put you off, it may reveal a situation where a physician is playing other offers against yours. A reasonable timeframe for an answer is 2 to 7 days. Two weeks is the maximum amount of time it should take to get an answer. You need to determine how long you are willing to wait and then move on. When you can make this kind of commitment and stick to it the candidate will either get back to you in a timely manner or he/she was probably not the right candidate in the first place.

 

P. Assuming that you would like to practice in a state where you are not licensed, how long does it take to get licensed in a new location?
Based on our many years of licensing and credentialing, it is safe to say, that with the exception of Texas, you can expect to be licensed in another state within 4 to 12 weeks. Texas can take anywhere from five to nine months. FMG’s (foreign medical graduates) can anticipate up to double the length of time normally necessary for state licensure.  Additionally, some states may require you to take the SPEX Exam (Special Purpose Exam) if your board certification or existing license is older than ten years. It is best to check first with the Individual State licensing Boards and find out from them what their specific requirements are and expected timeframe. They vary a great deal-some may be very easy and fast, while others make take a while.  One plausibility to expedite the licensure process is to concurrently apply for both locum tenens and permanent licensure.  Usually, a physician can obtain a locum tenens license within 4 to 8 weeks, allowing full medical practice privileges in that state while the permanent license is being processed. Be sure to visit the hyperlink to the State Medical Boards, located on the Physicians page of our website.  Our recruiters are experts in the matter and will be happy to advise accordingly.

 

Q. Why should I use a recruiting firm?
If you consider how time consuming a job search is, a recruitment firm is the best way to find a new job opportunity and discreetly comb the marketplace for practice options while maintaining your confidentiality and anonymity with work colleagues.  If you are a physician, there is no cost to you for our services. You can learn more about our opportunities by talking to one of our associates.

Unlike most of our competitors, CMA’s recruiting consultants visit every client's site so that they can objectively and honestly present the opportunity and answer all questions. We act as a functional extension of our Clients providing a value service that they don't have the time and resources to do. We can provide you valuable information and data that you are free to evaluate and verify on your own about an opportunity in an effort to ensure that you make a good decision. You can learn about many positions and opportunities that are not advertised that are truly excellent and unique.

If you are a potential Client, CMA distinguishes itself from our values, methodology, quality and experience.

 

R. How do I find out about Physician Practice opportunities with Chase, McKewen?
The best way to find out about our opportunities is to call or email us and speak with an associate. We can tell you about positions that meet all of your requirements or act as your agent to find one for you. Keep in mind that we can often identify or even create perfect opportunities for you just from speaking with you about prospects.  We take a very proactive, hands on, no nonsense approach to get the job done. We hope to make the process Fast, Easy, Efficient and Fun. You may also contact us through email, search our easy-to-use database of opportunities, or submit your Curriculum Vitae via email to search@chasemckewen.com or fax us at 206-338-2647 .

S. As a full service firm, how do you differ from contingency firms?
Contingency firms generally do not get all the particulars of an opportunity. Their knowledge of the opportunity is not as thorough because they do not take the time to meet with the Client other than by telephone. They often place a physician even if the match may not be perfect.  As a full service firm, CMA aggressively advertises each opportunity to find candidates that fit the client's profile and are a good match. CMA will undertake a thorough and comprehensive sourcing campaign. We usually have an excellent response from our sourcing campaign; we then carefully screen and select only those candidates that would best fit the opportunity.

We are therefore very successful promoting opportunities to physicians because we take the time to perform an on-site visit, meeting with the administrator, hospital staff and key staff. We know the opportunities better than anyone and communicate that information to you. Since only a small portion our fees are paid up front, there is a low risk to our clients, but in return, they receive better service, top quality candidates and a success rate at triple that of the typical recruiting result in the marketplace today.

 

T. As a physician visiting an opportunity, how do I handle interviewing expenses?
Our Clients provide all travel, lodging and meals. As stated above, they can be coordinated in advance or reimbursed after the on-site visit.   Usually, a physician candidate simply faxes all relevant travel receipts to the CEO’s office for direct reimbursement.  Checks are received typically within 2-3 weeks of the site visit, prior to the 25-day grace periods of most credit cards.

 

U. Do you specialize in any specific areas in the country?
We have opportunities nationwide in most every portion of the U.S.  As indicated above, they are Urban, Major Metro Areas, Suburban, Semi-Rural and Rural. New positions come in daily in all types of settings and locations. We do have staff members that have Geographic Specializations. We visit Clients nationally in both major metro areas and small towns. We have Clients and Physicians visiting us in our corporate office.

 

V. Do you recruit for all specialties?
Yes. CMA recruits for all specialties and often will search for specialized opportunities. If our Opportunities Database does not list an opportunity in a specific area you are interested in, please contact us for more information. We may have an opportunity for you that may not be posted. We often know where to find the kind of opportunity you are looking for and we are constantly receiving new information and making new contacts.

We have recruiters that do specialize by area and geographic location, as well as project teams that focus their efforts by medical specialty.

 

W. What makes CMA my best resource for finding a new opportunity?
Simply put: Quality, Experience, Efficiency, Knowledge and Speed.

 

X. What do you need from me?
If you are a Physician, please email (search@chasemckewen.com) or fax (206-338-2647) us your current and updated CV along with any pertinent professional or personal information necessary in considering practice options.  Then make time to call us, informing us of your interests, preferences, goals and geographic desires. We will consider all of your parameters and find an opportunity that meets all of your requirements. Contact us now for personalized service -- it's FREE!

 

Y. Why do clients use CMA?
When you consider how labor intensive Physician Recruitment and Placement is - manpower, advertising expense and time and energy, -- you would easily exceed the fee of a recruiting firm if you did it yourself. You not only save time, you save on expenses by using CMA for your sourcing needs. If a client attempts this on his/her own, and hires a bad candidate, they lose a lot of money and time. Hiring an inferior or mediocre candidate is not worth the time or energy. Chase, McKewen & Associates takes the time and energy to make a great match. We screen our candidates thoroughly with the ultimate goal of a good fit and long lasting placement.  Many Hospitals and Physician Practices choose to utilize recruitment firms rather than setting up a department which sits idle much of the year. The use of recruitment firms has proven to be efficient and cost effective.

 

Z. Will using a firm lower my salary?
No. The fees that are paid to recruitment firms are budgeted items and do not impact the physician's salaries or income guarantees. Keep in mind that the recruitment fees we charge are an investment, not an expense, as they generate a return.  Our clients save tens of thousands in captured revenue by securing a physician in a much more timely fashion, versus going without appropriate medical services for months on end.  CMA services always pay for themselves, so you need not worry about negative impacts to your earning potential.  Also consider that our practice positions are ALL in the Top Quartile of earnings nationally for almost every practice position.  We have NEVER had a physician accept a position through us who ended up making less than his/her present income level.  As always, Salary and Compensation to a great extent depends on the specialty, geographic location and experience.